Canada's Fisheries Department expressed interest in working with Titan sub company
HALIFAX — Two years before the Titan submersible imploded south of Newfoundland, killing five people, Canada's Fisheries Department sent a letter of support to the sub's American owner, the U.S. Coast Guard says in a report released Tuesday.
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The 300-page investigation report says the sinking was preventable.
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It says the company responsible for organizing the trip, OceanGate, mishandled the vessel's construction and its preparation leading up to the deep sea accident that attracted international attention.
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The small sub was on its way to the Titanic shipwreck when it broke apart near the bottom of the ocean, almost 700 kilometres south of Newfoundland on June 18, 2023. Among those killed was OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush.
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The report says Rush ignored safety warnings and design flaws that could have resulted in criminal charges — had he survived. Investigators also found that the submersible's certification and inspection process were all inadequate.
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As for the Fisheries Department, the report says it sent a letter to Rush in May 2021, saying the department planned to work with his company to assess the potential of its submersibles for scientific research.
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'DFO supports and advances marine conservation across the country … with the stated goal of increasing protected areas and advancing scientific research,' the report quotes the letter as saying.
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According to the report, the letter goes on to say OceanGate's equipment could offer Canadian scientists a unique opportunity to explore deepwater ecosystems, something that wasn't possible with existing Canadian technology.
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As well, the letter says the department could contribute funds for future expeditions.
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'DFO would like to conduct further discussions in the fall to identify and secure opportunities to use the submersibles in priority sites off Canada in 2022 and beyond,' the letter says.
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And the letter suggests that an employee of DFO could participate in an upcoming dive, the coast guard says.
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'However, while this individual was listed as a passenger for the 2021 expedition, the DFO representative was not recorded in the 2021 expedition dive logs as participating as a crew member on a Titan dive,' the report says.
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CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Titan disaster: federal Fisheries Department was part of previous OceanGate mission
Debris from the Titan submersible, recovered from the ocean floor near the wreck of the Titanic, is unloaded from the ship Horizon Arctic at the Canadian Coast Guard pier in St. John's, N.L., on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly HALIFAX — The federal Fisheries Department is shedding new light on its relationship with OceanGate, the American company behind the deepsea Titan submersible that imploded south of Newfoundland in 2023, killing all five people aboard. The department confirmed Thursday that in the summer of 2021, a staff member boarded a vessel 'associated with OceanGate' to participate as an observer during a mission off Newfoundland. 'The purpose was to learn more about OceanGate,' the department said in an email sent to The Canadian Press. 'Upon conclusion of the mission, it was determined that (OceanGate's) priorities did not align with the department's scientific objectives, and a further relationship was not pursued.' No other details were provided about the trip. As well, the department did not respond to an email asking whether any federal employees raised safety concerns about OceanGate's expeditions to view the wreck of the Titanic. Earlier this week, the U.S. Coast Guard released a report that concluded the tragedy on June 18, 2023, could have been prevented had OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush heeded safety warnings and calls for independent inspections and certification of the submersible. Rush was among those killed when Titan split apart as it descended near the Titanic, about four kilometres below the surface of the North Atlantic. Safety procedures at OceanGate, a private company based in Washington state, were 'critically flawed' and there were 'glaring disparities' between safety protocols and actual practices, the coast guard's report said. The 300-page report also revealed that in May 2021, Canada's Fisheries Department had written a 'letter of support' to Rush, saying the department wanted to collaborate with his company to assess its submersibles for scientific research. Only portions of the letter were included in the coast guard report. The Fisheries Department sent a copy of the letter to The Canadian Press on Wednesday, along with a statement that suggested its initial discussions with OceanGate were routine. 'Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) routinely expresses interest in scientific collaboration with a wide variety of potential partners,' a spokesman said Wednesday in an email. 'In early 2021, DFO had a series of exploratory discussions with OceanGate. The (May 2021) letter was sent to summarize the discussions that took place and the potential for the department to work with the company, beginning in 2021, to determine the applicability of its marine research systems.' The letter, dated May 19, 2021, makes it clear that department officials were keen to work with Rush and his team. 'DFO Maritimes Region is pleased with the discussions with OceanGate, the offer to participate in 2021, and the unique opportunity being offered to Canadian scientists and conservation efforts.' The letter also mentions possible funding from Ottawa. The department spokesman also confirmed in the Wednesday email there were discussions about having a staff member board the submersible on an expedition to the Titanic, almost 700 kilometres south of Newfoundland. But he said that never happened. The department did not explain why the relationship with OceanGate was eventually terminated or mention its collaboration on another vessel until pressed for details the next day. Besides DFO's letter of support in 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard's investigation found no evidence of any actual collaboration or funding. The submersible's implosion also killed French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood. In June, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the independent agency had completed its investigation report, which at the time was being reviewed. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025. By Michael MacDonald
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Titan disaster: federal Fisheries Department was part of previous OceanGate mission
HALIFAX – The federal Fisheries Department is shedding new light on its relationship with OceanGate, the American company behind the deepsea Titan submersible that imploded south of Newfoundland in 2023, killing all five people aboard. The department confirmed Thursday that in the summer of 2021, a staff member boarded a vessel 'associated with OceanGate' to participate as an observer during a mission off Newfoundland. 'The purpose was to learn more about OceanGate,' the department said in an email sent to The Canadian Press. 'Upon conclusion of the mission, it was determined that (OceanGate's) priorities did not align with the department's scientific objectives, and a further relationship was not pursued.' No other details were provided about the trip. As well, the department did not respond to an email asking whether any federal employees raised safety concerns about OceanGate's expeditions to view the wreck of the Titanic. Earlier this week, the U.S. Coast Guard released a report that concluded the tragedy on June 18, 2023, could have been prevented had OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush heeded safety warnings and calls for independent inspections and certification of the submersible. Rush was among those killed when Titan split apart as it descended near the Titanic, about four kilometres below the surface of the North Atlantic. Safety procedures at OceanGate, a private company based in Washington state, were 'critically flawed' and there were 'glaring disparities' between safety protocols and actual practices, the coast guard's report said. The 300-page report also revealed that in May 2021, Canada's Fisheries Department had written a 'letter of support' to Rush, saying the department wanted to collaborate with his company to assess its submersibles for scientific research. Only portions of the letter were included in the coast guard report. The Fisheries Department sent a copy of the letter to The Canadian Press on Wednesday, along with a statement that suggested its initial discussions with OceanGate were routine. 'Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) routinely expresses interest in scientific collaboration with a wide variety of potential partners,' a spokesman said Wednesday in an email. 'In early 2021, DFO had a series of exploratory discussions with OceanGate. The (May 2021) letter was sent to summarize the discussions that took place and the potential for the department to work with the company, beginning in 2021, to determine the applicability of its marine research systems.' The letter, dated May 19, 2021, makes it clear that department officials were keen to work with Rush and his team. 'DFO Maritimes Region is pleased with the discussions with OceanGate, the offer to participate in 2021, and the unique opportunity being offered to Canadian scientists and conservation efforts.' The letter also mentions possible funding from Ottawa. The department spokesman also confirmed in the Wednesday email there were discussions about having a staff member board the submersible on an expedition to the Titanic, almost 700 kilometres south of Newfoundland. But he said that never happened. The department did not explain why the relationship with OceanGate was eventually terminated or mention its collaboration on another vessel until pressed for details the next day. Besides DFO's letter of support in 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard's investigation found no evidence of any actual collaboration or funding. The submersible's implosion also killed French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, British adventurer Hamish Harding and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood. In June, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the independent agency had completed its investigation report, which at the time was being reviewed. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025.
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19 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Record number of early sockeye recorded in test catch in Johnstone Strait
Early numbers are promising for sockeye salmon headed to the Fraser River through the Johnstone Strait. Alexandra Morton, an independent Island-based biologist who has been keeping a close watch on the salmon run numbers, said that on July 31, 14,550 sockeye were caught on the Johnstone Strait test fishery boat — the highest July daily catch recorded since test fishing began. Morton said her phone has been blowing up with texts from people overjoyed by the news, as well as the run of early Stuart sockeye, which goes up to Takla Lake in northern B.C. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. That run is already in the Fraser River and is currently being counted by the Fisheries Department. DFO has already reached a count of 700,000, above the 160,000 initial estimate that the federal agency gave this year, she said. DFO spokesperson Leri Davies said the agency is unable to attribute increased salmon returns to any single factor at this point, but the large return could not have happened without the combined efforts of First Nations and the provincial and federal governments. The rebound for early Stuart sockeye comes six years after a major landslide in the Fraser River blocked salmon from reaching their spawning grounds, she said in a statement. Commercial and recreational fisheries opportunities may come as more information about the salmon run is collected, she said, adding that First Nation fisheries remain the priority while conservation measures are in place. On Aug. 1, ʼNa̱mǥis fishers were among those who headed out to catch salmon for food, social and ceremonial purposes over a four-day fishery window. Another fishing window for First Nations opened midnight on Wednesday and will close Aug. 9. Na̱mǥis hereditary chief and retired fisher Don Svanvik said ʼNa̱mǥis is allocated a quota of 5,000 sockeye, which means members will likely get around a dozen salmon each if they are able to catch the quota. ʼNa̱mǥis have only been allowed to fish in four of the past 15 years of sockeye salmon runs — in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 — due to a severe drop in returning numbers, Svanvik said. It's gotten to the point where some people think the sockeye only return to the rivers every four years, he said. But this year is shaping up to be a good run, he said. Before the turn of the century, when sockeye was more plentiful, his family would catch 100 to 150 sockeye a year, said Svanvik, adding the fish are nicknamed 'sliders' after the species' tendency to make half-circle jumps out of the water. Right now, everybody on Johnstone Strait is seeing those fins flash across the water, he said. Svanvik and Morton both attribute the rebound of the sockeye run this year, at least in part, to the 2021 closure of Atlantic salmon fish farms off the east coast of Vancouver Island. 'This year and last year [are] the first runs where we're starting to see fish come back that were not exposed to salmon farms when they were juveniles,' said Morton, who has opposed fish farms on the west coast for decades. 'People are wondering, is this part of why the numbers are so huge? Because they're not huge in the Columbia, the Barkley, the Skeena, the other big sockeye rivers.' The salmon returning to the rivers to spawn would have gone out to the Pacific as smolts in 2023, she said. David Knox, Kwakiutl hereditary chief and elected councillor for Kwakiutl First Nation, said there are too many factors to point to a single one causing the rebound for salmon runs going through the Johnstone Strait. Since fish farms began operating in the area 35 years ago, there has been a massive sockeye run in 2015, a major chum salmon run in 2021, and sizable returns of pink salmon, too, he said. Logging and mining in areas where salmon spawn, as well as ocean-floor trawlers, are other major threats to salmon that aren't talked about as much, Knox said. 'I worked on those boats for five years, so that's why I can talk about the impacts — because I witnessed it.' Knox said there's grumbling among Indigenous people who want to fish the sockeye run for economic gain. 'They're suppressing us from being able to gather our resources,' said Knox, who is planning to start a 'pre-Confederation' fishery outside the DFO process that he says his nation has the right to under the 1851 Fort Rupert Douglas treaties. The Pacific Salmon Commission said commercial salmon fishing in Fraser River-area waters remains closed in both Canada and the U.S. The latest commission report estimates that about six in 10 sockeye are shifting their migration route from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Johnstone Strait. Morton said there still is a lot that needs to change before salmon runs aren't threatened anymore, but this year's early results show the salmon remain resilient. 'To see these fish turn on like this is just so hopeful. One day we will be able to have abundant salmon running through these waters again.' mjlo@
